Digitalis (Foxglove) poem / William Withering* (1741–1799)

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 The Foxglove’s leaves,
with caution given,
Another proof of favouring Heav’n
Will happily display;
The rapid pulse it can abate;
The hectic flush can moderate 
And, blest by Him whose will is fate, 
May give a lengthened day.


(*) William Withering (1741–1799) was born in Wellington, Shrop- shire, England. 
His father was a well-known apothecary, and quite a few of his family members were either surgeons or physicians. Carrying on the family tradition, Withering studied medicine at Edinburgh University and earned his M.D. in 1766. 
He practiced medicine mostly in Birmingham, where the doctor treated both the rich and the poor.